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The Company's One of the Core
Business area is Fuel Ethanol producing Plant in conjunction wth
the Niger State Government in Nigeria.
The Plant is by and large a part
of the ambitious plan the company has chalked out for Sugar Cane
Plantation, Sugar Production, Processing f bi-products to
produce Fuel Ethanol, Carbon Di-oxide.
 Ethanol (ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, ETOH) is a
clear, colorless liquid with a characteristic, agreeable odor.
In dilute aqueous solution, it has a somewhat sweet flavor, but
in more concentrated solutions it has a burning taste. Ethanol,
CH3CH2OH, is an alcohol, a group of chemical compounds whose
molecules contain a hydroxyl group, -OH, bonded to a carbon
atom.
Ethanol has been made
since ancient times by the fermentation of sugars. All beverage
ethanol and more than half of industrial ethanol is still made
by this process. Simple sugars are the raw material. Zymase, an
enzyme from yeast, changes the simple sugars into ethanol and
carbon dioxide.
This is
generally available as a by-product of sugar mills producing
sugar. It can be used as a fuel, mainly as a bio-fuel alternative
to gasoline, and is widely used in cars in Brazil. It is
steadily becoming a promising alternative to gasoline throughout
much of the world and thus instead of sugar may be produced as a
primary product out of sugar canes processing.
ETHANOL AS A FUEL
 Ethanol is used as
an automotive fuel by itself and can be mixed with gasoline to
form what has been called "gasohol" FUEL ETHANOL- the
most common blends contain 10% ethanol and 85% ethanol mixed
with gasoline. Because the ethanol molecule contains
oxygen, it allows the engine to more completely combust the
fuel, resulting in fewer emissions. Since ethanol is produced
from plants that harness the power of the sun, ethanol is also
considered a renewable fuel. Therefore, ethanol has many
advantages as an automotive fuel.
The Advantages
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Ethanol is a much cleaner fuel than petrol (gasoline)
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It is a renewable fuel made from plants
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It is not a fossil-fuel: manufacturing it and burning it does
not increase the greenhouse effect
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It provides high octane at low cost as an alternative to
harmful fuel additives
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Ethanol blends can be used in all petrol engines without
modifications
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Ethanol is biodegradable without harmful effects on the
environment
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It significantly reduces harmful exhaust emissions
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Ethanol's high oxygen content reduces carbon monoxide levels
more than any other oxygenate: by 25-30%, according to the US
EPA
Ethanol reduces emissions and reduces CO2
Ethanol blends dramatically reduce emissions of hydrocarbons, a
major contributor to the depletion of the ozone layer.
High-level ethanol blends reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by up
to 20%
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Ethanol can reduce net carbon dioxide emissions by up to 100% on
a full life-cycle basis.
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High-level ethanol blends can reduce emissions of Volatile
Organic Compounds (VOCs) by 30% or more (VOCs are major sources
of ground-level ozone formation)
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As an octane enhancer, ethanol can cut emissions of
cancer-causing benzene and butadiene by more than 50%
Sulphur dioxide and Particulate Matter (PM) emissions are
significantly decreased with ethanol.
The result benefits the environment,
because reducing gasoline consumption and increasing alcohol use
means lower emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that
contributes to global warming.
Substituting a fossil fuel with a plant-based renewable fuel is
the correct route to take, especially for curbing climate
change,
Furthermore, alcohol production creates economic and
social benefits for the local people because it generates
employment and gives the rural population a reason to stay in
the countryside.
Sugar cane, the raw material for alcohol, absorbs as much or
more carbon dioxide than what is emitted by alcohol combustion.
And sugar cane by-products, like the pulp and sediments, are
used to generate electricity and as fertiliser.
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